MTD, explained for landlords
Straight answers to the questions landlords actually ask — each one grounded in the current rules, with a clear next step.
When does MTD start for me? (free calculator)
Work out your exact mandation year from your income — rents, self-employment, or both. Covers couples, where each person gets their own date.
Read the guideMTD software for landlords: the honest comparison
Every HMRC-recognised option that fits landlords, ranked honestly — including the free routes most lists leave out.
ReadMTD for sole traders: what changes and what it costs
Quarterly updates instead of one return. What Making Tax Digital actually means for the self-employed, and the cheapest compliant way through it.
ReadMTD for jointly owned property — the couples guide
One property, two taxpayers, two sets of digital records. How joint ownership really works under MTD, and which tools handle the split properly.
ReadBest MTD software for sole traders (free options included)
The HMRC-recognised tools that suit self-employed people, what they cost, and when a free tier or bridging software is genuinely enough.
ReadBoth a landlord and self-employed? How MTD adds up
Your qualifying income combines rents and turnover — which pulls many people over the threshold sooner than they expect. Plus the tools that file both.
ReadFree MTD software for landlords: the three real routes
The genuinely free paths to compliance, exactly who each one fits, and where the catches are.
ReadKeep your spreadsheet: bridging software explained
The cheapest compliant route for confident spreadsheet users — how digital links work and the trade-offs to accept.
ReadFreeAgent free with NatWest / RBS / Mettle — the catch?
How to get FreeAgent for £0, what the “one transaction a month” condition really means, and who should not rely on it.
ReadXero Simple for landlords — review
Whether the Simple plan is enough for a landlord, and when your accountant’s Xero habit should decide it for you.
ReadLandlord Studio vs Hammock for MTD
Two purpose-built landlord platforms compared on price, joint-ownership handling, apps and accountant access.
ReadMTD quarterly deadlines calendar 2026/27
Every standard quarterly update date, plus how the year-end final declaration fits around them.
ReadMTD penalties and the first-year grace period
How the points-based penalties work, what the first-year grace covers, and how interest on late tax is charged.
ReadForm 17 and unequal splits under MTD
When a 50/50 split is wrong, how a Form 17 election changes your share, and what it means for each partner’s mandation year.
ReadThe £30,000 wave: accidental landlords and April 2027
Why the April 2027 threshold catches so many part-time and accidental landlords, and how to prepare before the letters land.
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